Basquo:
Thank you all so much. I am back in Austin now, and will go back as needed. Work was very understanding too; my boss said we'd just count it as a scheduled absence since technically I did tell her Tuesday and came in Wednesday morning for an hour before hitting the road. I was able to visit my mother too. So I did the Hill Country, the Desert Southwest, and the South Plains all while visiting with family. Getting back to work today, though...man it was a long one after 5 days off!